Streets of Corona del Mar are named after flowers, and run in alphabetical order from Acacia to Poppy, each lined with a different variety of trees.  Beautiful flower gardens on each street display the flower from which the street is named.

Plentiful restaurants, specialty shops and galleries, make Corona del Mar a favorite destination for the residents of Orange County and tourists.

Along the city's primary artery, Pacific Coast Highway, is the landmark Five Crowns Restaurant. It was built in 1935 as a copy of Ye Olde Bell, an Inn at Hurley-on-the-Thames, England. It has been a residence and an inn, it has been forsaken and neglected, and now operates as a popular, fine restaurant. 

The beaches include Little Corona Beach, China Cove Beach, Crystal Cove State Beach and Corona del Mar Beach.

Crystal Cove is a stretch of coastal cliffs and a beach front cove sandwiched between Pacific Coast Highway and the Pacific Ocean just north of Laguna Beach. It contains a state park with paved beach parking and an enclave of mobile homes on the sand.  Explore the tide pools at Crystal Cove. It is an ecologically sensitive region so treat it kindly.

A landmark shack known to some as the "Date Shack" has been operating for 45 years.  Here you'll see cars and joggers stopped for their favorite shake and an awesome ocean scenic view.

At Inspiration Point there are spectacular views of Newport Beach and Catalina Island. On one particular day,  Disney  was filming  an upcoming "made for television" movie in the cove below. The location has been used in the opening of Gilligan's Island and other film projects. There's a public beach here with a bronze sculpture of a Sea Lion and her baby. 

History

Plans for Corona del Mar at the turn of the 20th century were as a vacation resort destination.  George hart bought 347 acres of gorgeous coastline from the Irvine Company for summer cottages.  His concept quickly changed in 1904 when visitors came to play and wouldn't leave.

Until the late 1920's, Corona del mar was a tiny village reached from the peninsula by small boat at high tide, or by a muddy dirt road that crossed the Irvine Ranch and continued along the bluffs around Newport Upper Bay. With the opening of Pacific Coast Highway in 1926 (Mary Pickford & Douglas Fairbanks were there for the ribbon cutting), a period of slow growth began, not accelerating until after World War II.  

In 1928, the Corona del Mar Surfboard Club hosted the Pacific Coast Surfboard Championship. The club was the largest of its kind in the United States with members such as surfing greats Duke Kahanamoku, Tom Blade of Redondo, Gerrard and Art Vultee of the Los Angeles Athletic Club, and other world class surfers who brought international attention to Southern California beaches. An extension of the jetties in the late 1930’s ended the "Killer Break" on the east side Corona del Mar and led to the emergence of the popular but dangerous break known as the "Wedge" to the west on the Newport Peninsula. It also led to the demise of surfing popularity in Corona del Mar.

Schools: Corona del Mar schools are part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. Although overall district academic scores are in the 70th and 80th percentile, Newport schools score in the 80-90th percentile, with a few in the high 90s.